Defensive breakdowns hurt Wainwright, Cardinals

LOS ANGELES – The St. Louis Cardinals are known for their defense -- the same defense that let them down Monday night in the Dodgers’ 3-0 win at Dodger Stadium in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series.

Four St. Louis defensive misplays hurt the Cardinals’ chances at taking a 3-0 series lead over the Dodgers in a game started by their ace, Adam Wainwright.

“It wasn’t very characteristic of how we played all season,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. “We just had a lot of balls in the air tonight that hit the ground that normally don’t. We’re a better club than this.”

The Cardinals committed just 75 errors this season, fewest in the National League and 34 fewer than the Dodgers. But according to advanced defensive statistics such as Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved, they were among the five worst squads in the majors on that side of the ball.

Monday, their miscues began in the first inning, when a Hanley Ramirez pop fly fell between second baseman Matt Carpenter and right fielder Carlos Beltran for a single.

Then, in the fourth inning, Beltran and center fielder Jon Jay let a standard fly from Mark Ellis drop between them for a double, which kick-started the Dodgers’ long-dormant offense.

Jay took responsibility for not making the catch, but declined to explain why he held off trying to grab it at the last second.

“That ball should be caught,” Beltran said. “I didn’t call for the baseball, but I guess he saw me and anticipated I’d catch it.”

In the fifth inning, after pinch-runner Daniel Descalso was doubled off second by several feet on a routine lineout to left, Jay made a diving attempt at an A.J. Ellis drive and played it into a triple – only the Dodger catcher’s second this year.

“I just misread it,” Descalso said of his baserunning error. “Once I realized it was getting caught, I was too far away from second.”

Added Descalso of the Cardinals’ rest of the night: “We made a few mistakes we don’t normally make, and when you do that, you’re going to lose.”

In the eighth inning, Jay made another failed diving attempt at a Carl Crawford liner that went for a single. Then, on a Ramirez bloop single that should’ve loaded the bases, second baseman Kolten Wong mistakenly threw to second base instead of home, allowing Crawford to score an insurance run.

None of the St. Louis mistakes earned an error. Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, a five-time Gold Glove-winner, said defense was a non-issue heading into Game 4, with St. Louis up 2-1 on the Dodgers.

“We’ve been playing good defense all year long,” Molina said. “Sometimes, games like this are going to happen.”